Navy to Restore Enlisted Rating Titles After Months of Criticism
By: Sam LaGrone
December 20, 2016 9:48 PM • Updated: December 20, 2016 10:17 PM
30f1516986e31ebbd9ef6647e19bfcd9The Navy is performing a brisk about-face on a controversial plan that shelved ratings titles for enlisted sailors, according to a message Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson that was set for release on Wednesday morning but was leaked on social media on Tuesday night.
The NAVADMIN message cancels a late September decision in which service leadership announced it would no longer address sailors by their rating – a more than 200-year-old tradition in which enlisted were known by their job title – and instead refer to enlisted sailors with the generic titles of Seaman (E-1 to E-3) or Petty Officer (E-4 to E-6).
The unpopular title change was the most visible part of an enlisted rank modernization effort spearheaded by former Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Michael D. Stevens.
https://news.usni.org/2016/12/20/navy-restore-enlisted-rating-titles-months-criticism
